BT Vision ditches Microsoft Mediaroom for Linux

BT have been slowly rolling out Microsoft’s Mediaroom IPTV solution for its Vision package but it looks like just as the rollout is complete BT are ditching Mediaroom for Linux. In a post on the Register they say that costs, BT’s video on demand focus and complex system requirements have pushed BT into moved to Linux:

What caused the biggest problem was the continuation of Microsoft DRM in the system, with Pace (the set-top box provider for the current generation of BT Vision DVRs) having to integrate Nagravision for the paid services on Freeview, such as Sky Sports, alongside Microsoft Windows Media DRM, and drop it all onto Linux. The system will slowly upgrade to using Microsoft Playready DRM in time but the pay TV portion will still need Nagra.

The problem at the heart of the decision has been the way the BT service is very VoD focused, but the proprietary and unvarying UI of the Mediaroom implementation has meant that only a handful of VoD options can be shown at any given time, when BT has amassed 6,000 VoD options.

I am not sure how much how much impact (if any) it will have on the Mediaroom product, Microsoft has some big Mediaroom customers in the US but its interesting to note that for the last few years at CES Microsoft had Mediaroom on display but this there was no sight of it.

About the author Ian Dixon:Founder of The Digital Lifestyle.com and host of The Digital Lifestyle Show.
Started podcasting in 2005, Windows Entertainment and Connected Home MVP.
Lover of gadgets from the Raspberry Pi to the iPad, Android to Windows 8. Also a massive motor racing fan